The subject of Rose Quarter redevelopment has been in the news lately.

The Oregonian reported in early January that Adams was leading an effort to bring a Costco to the site of the Portland Public Schools headquarters near the Rose Quarter. The city and the Portland Trailblazers also are working on a deal that Adams hopes will anchor the Rose Quarter with jobs in the athletic-apparel industry.

The coalition of neighborhood associations would like to see redevelopment money spent differently.

"We have followed carefully last year's deliberations about expansion of the Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area boundaries and we have sponsored a number of community forums on the expansion and related issues," wrote coalition president Katie Ugolini. "We believe we represent the community consensus in saying that we are inalterably opposed to the inclusion of the Rose Quarter."

The letter continued: "Rose Quarter projects, which are large and discontinuous with the North/Northeast community, will pull resources away from more community-based projects. For the first ten years of the (urban renewal program), the majority of the funding went to two large projects, the Interstate Light Rail project and the New Columbia project.

"Now that there is additional funding available, it should be spent on neighborhood level projects that benefit existing North and Northeast residents."

For now, the decision about including the Rose Quarter is on hold.

"We had an official vote some time ago to include a number of areas within the Interstate boundary, but the vote did not include the Rose Quarter," PDC Project Manager Bob Alexander said Thursday. "A committee chaired by the mayor is considering a number of options, which may or may not include moving property."